I send one action packed email a week called a 1x1x1 covering crazy cool businesses I spot, updates on what we're building and buying, and lessons from the journey of an entrepreneur.
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For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1.
One thought from my week.
One interesting find/tool from my week.
One image from my life.
Let's dive in 👇
Japan has a record number of small businesses for sale right now.
Not because they’re failing…
But because their owners are literally running out of birthdays.
All across Japan, 70 and 80-year-old founders are trying to retire from ramen shops to metal workshops to tiny stationery stores.
And no one’s there to take over.
The kids became software engineers in Tokyo, or just… decided sleep was more appealing than 4 a.m. tofu-making.
It’s kind of tragic and kind of inspiring at the same time.
These are century-old businesses that never chased “scale” or “funding rounds.”
They just made great stuff and treated customers like family.
If someone out there is trying to buy one of these let me know.
Because while everyone’s busy building the next AI startup, there’s something deeply beautiful about keeping an old light on and making sure a good thing doesn’t fade away.
SBA? More like Stop Borrowing Altogether
The government shut down, which means the SBA hit pause on new loans.
For M&A folks this means just a lot of bankers refreshing their inboxes and borrowers pacing like dads outside delivery rooms.
If your deal’s already approved, you might still close.
If not… welcome to “hurry up and wait” season.
Guess we’ll all be “self-funded entrepreneurs” until further notice.
We've been soaking up this sea of gold while we have it for the next few days.
